Hook forming machine



DEC. 13, E LAXO HOOK FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 2,1951 INVENTOR. [0 141m Dec. 13, E, XO

HOOK FORMING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2, 1951 INVENTOR. [0[4X0 BY 2 '2 Dec. 13, 1955 LAXO 2,726,702

HOOK FORMING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I N V EN TOR.[0 [4X0 United States Patent HOOK FORMING MACHINE Ed Laxo, Oakland,Calif.

Application March 2, 1951, Serial No. 213,581

1 Claim. (Cl. 153-11) This invention relates to a hook forming machinefor forming hooks on can body blanks.

In forming hooks on can body blanks, i. e., hooks which are employed toform the side seams of can bodies, it is essential that the hooks beformed accurately and at a high speed. Accuracy is essential because,otherwise, faulty side seams will result. High speed is essentialbecause of competitive conditions prevailing in the can industry.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hookforming machine for forming hooks on can body blanks.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a machine capable offorming hooks on can body blanks at a high speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine capable offorming books on can body blanks with great accuracy and at high speed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a hook formingmachine of the character for the purpose described having a simplifiedconstruction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hook forming machine ofthe character and for the purpose described which is easily adjustable.

Yet another object is to provide a hook forming machine of the characterand for the purpose described which is easily timed, and in which thetiming of the several elements of the machine with respect to eachother, and of the machine as a whole with respect to other elements of acan body maker line, is facilitated by the provision of a common drivefrom a single crankshaft.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a machine having someor all of the advantageous features described herein and which isgenerally useful for the purpose of bending sheet metal objects and thelike.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from theensuing description and the appended claims.

One form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in theaccompanying drawings and is described hereinafter.

, Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in end elevation and'partly in transversesection, of both the left and right-hand hook forming assemblies of ahook forming machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view similar to that of Figure 1 but on alarger scale and in which certain of the parts shown in Figure l areomitted. In Figure 2 the machine is shown at a different stage ofoperation thanillustrated in Figure 1. 3

Figure 3 is similar to Figure 2, but illustrates the machine at a laterstage in the operating cycle.

Figure 4 is a top view of the right-hand assembly of Figure 2. i

"ice

and the ensuing description will be confined, for the most part, to theright-hand assembly 11b. Each assembly is mounted on frame members 12,the spacing of which may be adjusted by any suitable means (not shown)for can body blanks of difierent lengths.

The assemblies 11a and 11b have common drive in the form of a singlecrankshaft 13, which may also be employed to operate a notching machinein advance of the hook forming machine, and also to operate a can bodymaker for interlocking the hooks formed by the machine of Figure l andforming side seams therefrom.

For example, the crankshaft 13 may be employed to operate the notchingmachine described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No.213,582, filed March 2, 1951, entitled Notching Machine, now U. S.Patent No. 2,695,061, granted November 23, 1954,. and the body makerdescribed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 165,617,filed June 2, 1950, entitled Can Body Maker, now U. S. Patent No.2,656,806, granted October 27, 1953.

As illustrated, the crankshaft 13 is provided with an eccentric 14 onwhich is rotatably mounted a split strap 14a whose parts are clampedtogether by means of cap screws 15. One half of the strap 14a isintegral with one end of a connecting rod 16, the other end of which isrotatably connected at 16a to a rocker 17. The rocker 17 is rotatablymounted on a rocker shaft 18 which provides a fulcrum for the rocker.The right-hand end or arm of the rocker 17 is rotatably connected at 25to the lower end of an adjustable connecting rod 26, the upper end ofwhich is rotatably connected to a shaft 27.

The left-hand end or arm of the rocker 17 is similarly,

connected to an adjustable connecting rod 26 which is similarlyconnected to a shaft 27.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be seen that can body blanks suchas the blank shown at 28 are carried by a feed table 29 along which theyare conveyed by any suitable means (not shown), such as reciprocatingdogs. The blanks 28 are registered at the hook forming station bysuitable registering means such as shown at 30. The registry means 30are not shown in detail, and

any of several known types of registry means may be used.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, it will be seen that each.

body blank 28 protrudes beyond the edges of the feed table 29 and thatthe protruding edges are'formed'int'o hooks-in two stages.

as shown at 31 in Figure 2 and then a hook is formed which, as shown at32 in Figure 3, forms an acute angle with the plane of the body blank.Preferably this angle is about 30, but the precise angle may be varied.

The means for accomplishing this hook formation will now be described indetail. Referring more particularly to Figures 2 and 7, it will be seenthat a U-shaped link 33 is provided having arms 34 which are rotatablyFirst a right angular hook is formedf a 'valtoftime.

1 1 eyzepoa hookforming machine and other associated machines p canhereadily adjusted by looseningithe screw :52,- shifting ithe .eam:51andxthen tightening the screw .52 when suitableadjustmenthas beenmade.

"131: mm 51 :is formed at its upper end with a low dwell-54,.azrisefi5and aihighsdwell56. It is in engage- 1 mentwitha roller-.57 whichisirotatable on an extension 58 of one branch or amnSQofaU-shaped lever60. The

Iever160 is shown in'elesiation iniFigure 2 audio .top plan inrFigurel.The arms59 ,ofithe lever .60 are rotatable on stub shafts 165 which areclamped to frame members 66 bycap screws .67.. Theinner orleft-hand endof the lever 60,;as viewedin Figure 2, is formedwith a clamping head 68which carries -a yieldable clamping member '69 which keyed intoa recess69a formed .in the clamping head and is urged downwardly by an expansionspring 70. Aisofixed to the-clamping .head'and forming a partthereofis-a forming diefl7r1 havinga lip 72. The lip 72 is formed at the angletowhichzit is adesired to .bend the can body hooksttfor example, in :thepreferred embodiment, it is formed at anangle of It be apparent that, asthe crankshaft 13 rotates and rocks the rocker 17, the cam 51 willoscillate about the axisof its shaft 36 and that the action thereof 'onthe roller 57 will'rock or oscillate the :lever 60. It will, therefore,be apparent that the clamping head :63 will alternately descend, clamp abody blank28 to the feed table .29 for the 'hookforming operation andthenascend to release :the body blank .for forward :travel, e. g, to acan body maker. The yieldable clamping member 69 will clamp each bodyblank to :the feed table :prior to the end of the down stroke of theclamping head and will serve to hold the body -lankinposition duringthis inter- .The shaft 27 also rotatably carries arms 80 which areintegral at their upper .ends with a steel holder .or head 81. A hookforming steel or die 82 having 'a-plane, vertical face 82a is keyed intoa dovetailrecess :83 formed in the head 31 and a is formed with'adip.84:which is coopalso guided for ,vertical movement from the-positionshown in Figural to the position shown .in Figure 2, that is, untilthe'hookfonning lips 72 and Mareinthe samehor'izontal plane, hy,guidemeansincluding a tension spring :88 which is connectedat one end to apin 89 fixed tothe head 81 During the initial part of its up w of acompleteibody maker line "is facilitated, and {the and at its other .end.to a pin 90 fixed to a bracket 91.

It will be apparent that the to that shown in Figure 3 the action of therise '94 against the roller 92 will rock the .head 81, and with it thesteel 82 and the lip 84 in counterclockwise direction as viewed inFigure 3. It will, therefore, be apparent that, during the initial stageof the up stroke of the head 81 and the steel or die 82, the latter'willmove vertically and will bend the protruding end of -a can body blankat'a right angle as'shown in Figure 2. -It will also be apparent thatduring the remainder of the upstroke, i. e., while moving from theposition shown in Figure 210 that shown in Figure 3, the steel or .die'82 will be rocked to bend the right angle hook to a sharp angle.

The ,cam 93 'is adjustable 'vert-icallyby the means which will now bedescribed in .detail. Referring'to Figures 2, 4 and 6, the cam 93 iskeyed into a dovetail, longitudinal slot 96 formed in the head 81. Abracket 100 is fixed to the upper end of the cam 93 by a cap screw 101and it is formed at its inner or left-hand, as viewed in Figure 2, witha -U shaped recess 102 to receive .a shoulder :screw 102a which isthreaded into the headJSl as shown .at 103'. in Figure 2. ltwillbeapparentthat, by .turningthescreW 10211 the .cam 93 will be raised orlowered in its slot 95; When suitably adjusted, the cam 93 is clamped inadjusted position :bysneans of .a .gib 1'04 and caps-screws 105..

in operation, and referring only .to "the right-hand assembly .1111, asthe crankshaft 13 rotates, the connecting rod 26 will reciprocate,thereby causing through the medium of thelink33, the cam .51 and theileverfill,

the clamping head 68 ,to alternately clamp body blanks to the feed tableand release them for'forward movement to a body maker.

loosening the screw 52, shifting the cam 51 relativelyto its:snpporftingarm 49 and then tightening the screw 52.

Simultaneously with the operation of the clamping head 68, the head 81and with it the hook forming steel '82. are reciprocated' to bend theprotruding edge of :a body blank,firstito a right angle as shown inFigure 2 and then I to an angle of 30 as shown in :Figure 3 to form afinished hook. Timing of this operation is readily accomplished byloosening screws 105 in gib 104, turning the shoulder screw 102aand'then tightening the screws 105 when suit-. able adjustment has beenmade. On the down stroke,

of course, the spring 8 will return the head 81 to the a preciselytimedrelation by means of a single crankshaft and a single rocker. Since thissame crankshaft mayfhe usedfor-otherelements of a can body maker line,such as a notching machine and a body maker, precise timing number of.moving parts is greatly reduced.

Timing of the, several elements of the machine, for

example, of the can body clamping :means'and-o'f the hook .forming steelor die, .is easily and speedily accomplished by .the means describedhereina-bove. Asa whole the machine of myin-vention is simple, is easilyadjusted:

and it is easily repaired. Interchange or replacement of parts is easilyand speedilyaccomplished, The machine is capable of high speed,dependable operation and-itforms hooks with great accuracy. vSlides areunnecessary for guiding the forming tools, which prevents ,gallingand 7other tlifiicu'lties inherent in slide 7 structures.

I claim:

A can bodyho'ok *formingmachine comprising.arstationary frame, ahorizontal table fixed to said frame for supporting a canbody blankthereon with an edge of the.

blank projecting beyond an edge of said table, a pa'ir'of Timing of thisoperation is readily accomplished by adjustment of :the cam :51, i. e.,by-

parallel generally horizontally disposed levers pivoted to said framefor oscillatory movement about a first horizontal axis parallel to saidedge of said table, a pair of generally vertically disposed armspivotally mounted at one end on free ends of said levers for pivotalmovement about a second horizontal axis parallel to said edge of saidtable, a hook forming tool secured to the free ends of said arms, saidtool having a flat vertical surface facing said edge of said table andarranged to engage the projecting edge of the body blank, said toolhaving a lip at one end of said flat vertical surface, a roller securedto said frame and rotatable about an axis parallel to said edge of saidtable, cam means fixed to said arms, spring means resiliently urgingsaid cam means into engagement with said roller, said cam means having avertical dwell portion causing said tool to partake of an increment ofvertical movement upon oscillation of said levers, such increment ofvertical movement causing said fiat vertical surface of said tool toslide vertically relative to the projecting edge of the blank andsubsequently causing said lip to engage and bend such projecting edge 6to substantially a 90 angle to the blank, and said cam means having arise portion causing said tool to rock toward said edge of said tableafter such 90 angle has been formed in the blank to thereby cause saidlip to effect an acute angle fold in the blank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS131,940 Courtright Oct. 8, 1872 273,982 Goodwin Mar. 13, 1883 686,866Stevenson Nov. 19, 1901 799,409 Slaysman Sept. 12, 1905 826,807 SlaysmanJuly 24, 1906 843,100 Richards Feb. 5, 1907 997,021 Stevenson July ,4,1911 1,055,973 Graham Mar. 11, 1913 1.764,318 Kruse June 17, 19302,386,706 Moessinger Oct. 9, 1945 2,569,181 Laxo Sept. 25, 1951

